Chapter 1
“Another drink please.” He shouted at the bartender.
He scanned the crowd for the beautiful blonde woman with the piercing blue eyes. He had noticed her the moment she stepped into the lounge bar. Even amid other women dressed in what he would term as scanty outfits, her quiet and classic beauty stood out. The bartender passed him his drink, and as he slowly sipped the burning whiskey, Mason observed her. She was hurdled at the corner of the bar surprisingly alone. Her gaze roamed around the crowded space and briefly rested on the dance floor.
The lounge was square shaped, had a colonial style and a natural grandeur. The combination of coal tones and ash gave it a dark, sinful look which Mason thought suited it just perfectly. The jazz music was playing harmonically and was quite soothing. As he sat in his stool, Mason absorbed his surrounding and the noise it presented. The laughter and shouting though somehow annoying brought life. Coming to this lounge hadn’t been on his top agendas today, but at James insistence, he had finally caved in. Speaking of James, where was the guy? The last time Mason had checked, James had gone to the bathroom, but that was twenty minutes ago.
This night, in particular, he was grateful that James had brought him along. Left to his own devices, he would probably have been home alone brooding over his work. Ordinarily, Mason was not a bar kind of guy. He preferred scenes because they allowed him time to think.
“Hey man.” A tap on his shoulder forced him out of his thoughts.
“Where have you been?”
James sat in the stool next to him as he brushed his hair with his fingers.